Voting day preparations continued on Monday as did efforts to get New
York City back to normal in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy as yet
another threatening weather front approaches the region.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg reported that nearly all of the
city's schools had reopened on Monday and that attendance was normal.
The mayor said public transportation also is returning to normal, and he
urged residents to use it.

“Things there, I'm happy to report, went relatively smoothly and will
almost certainly improve in the days ahead. Mass transit is definitely
the way to go, given that gas supplies in our city remain below normal,"
said Bloomberg.

These subway users agreed with Bloomberg's assessment of their commute.

“Normal, yeah, good, good. Like it was a few weeks ago.”

“It was actually totally fine; I had no trouble at all. The train came
right on time. There it was; I got a seat. It was great.”

“It is much better than before because I walked to the bridge on
Wednesday and Monday.”

The number of New York City residents without electricity has declined
from about three-quarters of a million at the peak of the crisis last
week to some 115,000 people.

Mayor Bloomberg said about 200,000 storm-affected residents picked up
food, water, blankets, batteries and other essential items on Sunday
from city distribution centers. For those whose homes are uninhabitable
or destroyed, he said the city is working quickly to locate long-term
housing for them.

Meanwhile, New Yorkers are preparing for the U.S. general elections on
Tuesday. Polling centers in some areas have been affected by the storm,
leading Governor Cuomo to sign an executive order permitting eligible
voters to cast their ballots at any polling station in the state.

At the Board of Election headquarters in borough of Brooklyn, Stacey
Sheffey says she came to process an absentee ballot for a friend.

“I have a very, very sick friend who is in the hospital and she is not
able to get out to vote, so I'm trying to do an absentee ballot. I have
an application for her, so that's why I'm standing here today," said
Sheffey.

Jeff
and his two companions came from one of the hardest hit areas to file
their ballots. They say the church where they normally vote has been
devastated.

“We are from Rockaway Beach. We wanted to make our vote count, and
that's why we are here," said Jeff.

Others, like Cecilia, came to volunteer their time as poll workers.

“I wasn't going to do it this year. But because of the hurricane, I
figured they may have the need for extra poll workers, so I figured I'd
come down," said Cecilia.

Meteorologists are warning that just beyond Tuesday's vote another
potentially serious weather system is heading toward the New York area.
Mayor Bloomberg says that Wednesday's expected storm could bring strong
winds and more flooding, but not as severe as Sandy's.